On Tue, 16 Sep 2003 21:56:56 +0100, "Paul J. Adam"
wrote:

The "missing weapons" are not small or compact items - the missing
shells would need something like 250 forty-foot trailers to haul - and
they (and the facilities to make them, and the precursors for them)
don't take kindly to being buried or abandoned.

Mr. Adam's general point is well-taken, but I would disagree in some
of the specifics. The total amounts of missing WMEs that I've seen
tend to be just under 400 tons; the number of truckloads required for
transportation depends on the type of container. Bulk storage, bombs,
and rocket warheads tend to have a higher proportion of agent to metal
than do artillery projectiles. Thus, if the missing agent was filled
into 105 mm projectiles, it would fill many more truckloads than if it
were filled into drums and bombs.

Regarding burial, it depends on where and for how long. I've seen
photos of projectiles buried in moist soils for 60 years that looked
so bad they couldn't be safely moved. On the other hand, a year or two
buried in desert sand might not affect the usability of the munition
that greatly. The likelihood that WME are out there to be found
appears fairly low, but it's not zero.

Regards,

George
************************************************** ********************
Dr. George O. Bizzigotti Telephone: (703) 610-2115
Mitretek Systems, Inc. Fax: (703) 610-1558
3150 Fairview Park Drive South E-Mail:
Falls Church, Virginia, 22042-4519
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